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Jamie's outfield (OF) fantasy baseball draft sleepers, value picks, and draft targets for 2025. He recommends drafting these upside outfielders based on ADPs.
Outfield is usually a position of depth in fantasy baseball drafts. That's not to say you should ignore the position until the later rounds. The fact that 10 of the top 20 players going in drafts (according to NFBC) are outfield-eligible shows how many top names there are at the position.
Even if you don't take one of the top outfield options, there's still plenty of talent throughout the draft. Here, we will look at five outfielders you should be targeting in your drafts who are set to provide value at their current Average Draft Position (ADP).
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Wyatt Langford, Texas Rangers
Langford could be labeled as a "post-hype sleeper." However, he's still coming into 2025 full of hype. You may need to use a fourth- or fifth-round pick to take Langford. But if you skip taking any of the elite outfielders in your first picks, Langford will make a great OF1 for your teams.
That is, assuming he's healthy. Langford was diagnosed with a mild oblique strain as soon as Spring Training began. However, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy doesn't seem to think it will impact Langford's availability for Opening Day. It's still something to monitor as preseason rolls on.
Wyatt Langford got an MRI and has a mild left oblique strain. He'll be down 5-7 days and then he'll resume baseball activities.
"It's not going to impact Opening Day" -Bruce Bochy
— Jared Sandler (@JaredSandler) February 21, 2025
Last year, Langford broke camp with the Rangers but struggled in his first taste of the majors. He went on the injured list after 31 games, with a .224/.295/.293 slash line. It's a reminder that even the highest-ranked prospects can take time to adjust to major league pitching.
When he returned, Langford reminded us why he was such a highly regarded prospect. A torrid June got Langford back into fantasy managers' good books. An incredible end to the season has helped cement Langford as a top-20 outfielder this year.
| Month | PA | HR | RBI | R | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | wRC+ |
| April | 118 | 1 | 11 | 13 | 1 | .238 | .314 | .314 | 80 |
| May | 21 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .143 | .143 | .143 | -28 |
| June | 106 | 3 | 22 | 11 | 6 | .309 | .368 | .526 | 151 |
| July | 107 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 2 | .216 | .280 | .351 | 76 |
| August | 91 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 3 | .215 | .308 | .316 | 82 |
| September | 114 | 8 | 20 | 25 | 7 | .300 | .386 | .610 | 180 |
No one should condone drafting someone based solely on one good month. But Langford's season, broken down by months, shows a young player finding his feet. By season's end, Langford had a respectable .253/.325/.415 slash line with 16 homers, 74 RBI, 74 runs, and 19 steals (134 games).
If it wasn't for the three missed weeks, Langford might have had a 20/20 season. He also finished the year as the Rangers' No. 3 hitter. Langford should have a prominent role in the lineup again in 2025. And the lineup certainly looks better on paper.
The additions of Jake Burger and Joc Pederson will help Langford's counting stats. So, too, will a healthy Corey Seager and Josh Jung. There's plenty of optimism around the Rangers offense. Providing Langford stays healthy, he should be able to capitalize on the better-supporting cast.
ATC projections have Langford tallying 21 homers, 75 RBI, 80 runs, and 19 steals. That's in 142 games. If last year was the baseline we can set, Langford should have no issues with recording a 20/20 season. Even triple-digit RBI and runs aren't out of the question this year.
Lawrence Butler, Athletics
Butler seemingly emerged from nowhere in 2024. However, if you were paying close attention, Butler was someone on the radar last year. Butler debuted for the Athletics in 2023 and hit .211/.240/.341 with four homers, 10 RBI, 10 runs, and no steals in 42 games. Not a stat line that stood out.
After starting the 2024 season in Oakland, Butler again struggled. After 41 games, he had a .179/.281/.274 slash line with just two home runs and three stolen bases to his name. A demotion to Triple-A ensued, and even after a return to the majors a month later, Butler struggled.
In his first 11 games back in Oakland, Butler hit .179/.172/.250 with a 13 wRC+. When the calendars flipped over to July, something clicked with Butler. From July 1 until the end of the season, he hit .302/.346/.597 with 20 homers, 49 RBI, 53 runs, and 14 stolen bases (73 games).
Butler's 167 wRC+ over the final three months of the season was eighth-best in baseball. We could lazily suggest that doubling his stats from July onward means Butler will hit 40 homers and steal 30 bases. Even the most optimistic fan would be hard-pressed to back that up.
But Butler's outburst shouldn't have been a total shock. He had been showing a power/speed combo in the minors leading up to his promotion in 2023. Butler had 11 homers and 13 steals in 2022 (84 games). In 2023, Butler had 15 homers and 21 steals in 89 games.
The move to Sacramento appears set to help the A's offense. According to Statcast Park Factors, the Oakland Coliseum ranked as the fourth worst for home runs for left-handed hitters (LHH). Any change in a home ballpark should help Butler's power.
The projections vary quite significantly with Butler for 2025. His home run total ranges between 20-29, while his stolen base total ranges between 14-21. They all have Butler with around a .250 batting average, which seems more likely than him hitting .300 over a full season.
All in all, the signs are positive for Butler heading into 2025. As the A's leadoff hitter to end 2024, he should feature prominently in the batting order. Butler is set to have another significant impact in 2025, and it wouldn't come as a shock if he were to break some records along the way.
Lawrence Butler is the:
- 2nd A’s player with 2 3-HR games in a season, joining 1996 Gerónimo Berroa
- 3rd player age 24 or younger with 2 3-HR games in a season, joining 2016 Mookie Betts & 1947 Ralph Kiner https://t.co/WDetwZwpmH
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) August 30, 2024
Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs
The first two players in this article are young, exciting, and with plenty of upside. Happ doesn't fall into that category. That does not mean he should be disregarded. With an ADP of ~127, Happ makes an ideal option in the middle rounds as a boring but stable anchor in your lineups.
Happ is coming into 2025 off the back of arguably the best fantasy season of his career. Happ had 25 home runs, 86 RBI, 89 runs, and 13 stolen bases with a .243/.341/.441 slash line (153 games). Over the last four seasons, Happ has averaged 22 homers, 77 RBI, 78 runs, and 11 steals.
With a career-high 14 steals in 2023 and 13 steals last year, Happ has benefited from the rule changes that saw the bases increase in size. And his level of consistency is why the projections all have very similar outcomes for Happ this year.
Happ is projected to have between 21-23 homers and 11-13 steals. He's also projected for ~79 RBI and ~84 runs. While it's unlikely we will see Happ exceeding last year's numbers, he has set a high floor, and fantasy managers should be confident that Happ can produce value at his current ADP.
The Cubs haven't quite improved their offense as much as many would have liked. The addition of Kyle Tucker should be a boost, especially if he hits directly behind Happ as expected. But regardless of that, there's no reason to believe Happ won't be able to put up numbers similar to last year.
Happ has averaged 154 games a year since 2021. He will have more value in leagues counting OBP (his 11.8 percent walk rate since 2021 ranks 26th-best among 303 qualified hitters). But Happ's level of consistency and reliability makes him someone worth targeting in your fantasy drafts.
Dylan Crews, Washington Nationals
While teammate James Wood garners more attention, Crews should not be overlooked. Although his first experience of MLB action wasn't great, Crews was able to show off his biggest fantasy asset. In 31 games, Crews hit .218/.288/.353 with three homers, eight RBI, 12 runs, and 12 steals.
While those stolen bases will be the main reason fantasy managers target Crews in drafts, there are other reasons you should be, too. There is no denying Crews' speed. His 29.3 ft/sec sprint speed ranked in the 93rd percentile, which was why the Nationals had Crews lead off for them.
As well as being a major stolen base threat, that speed will also help Crews score plenty of runs. Being able to leg out infield singles and turning singles into doubles (as demonstrated below) should see Crews potentially score around 80 runs in 2025.
And it's not like Crews has no power. He hit 13 home runs in 100 minor league games last year. The three homers in 31 major league games hint that ~15 are possible in 2025. That's what the projections suggest, too. ATC has Crews hitting 15 homers, with the others ranging between 14-17 home runs.
If Crews does act as the Nationals leadoff hitter, RBI might be more difficult to come by. He's still projected for 60+ RBI and with a batting average of ~.245. While I'm not suggesting Crews is a five-category contributor, he won't hurt you in any category. And he has huge stolen base potential.
If you stack your lineup with power hitters in the early rounds, you can snag Crews in the middle rounds with an ADP of ~136. Providing he hits well enough and gets on base, the speed offers Crews a solid floor. The upside is that of a top-15 outfielder.
Adolis Garcia, Texas Rangers
Garcia's ADP is currently around ~140. Given it was ~40 in 2024, you would think Garcia had a worse season than he did last year. In 154 games, Garcia had 25 home runs, 85 RBI, 68 runs, and 11 stolen bases with a .224/.284/.400 slash line. Not great, but not terrible.
In the three prior seasons, Garcia averaged 32 homers, 99 RBI, 91 runs, and 17 steals. He also hit .246/.305/.472. Garcia's batting average was between .243 and .250 each year, too. So, he had a level of consistency and reliability, averaging 151 games a year.
If we look at the numbers Garcia produced between 2021 and 2023, it's fair to say that last year appears to be his floor. Garcia will be 32 years old by Opening Day, so he's not over the hill. There's no reason why Garcia can't return to his pre-2024 self this year.
As we can see above, Garcia still displayed excellent quality of contact. He was still hitting the ball hard and barreling the ball. And the projections seem to believe Garcia will be better in 2025 than he was in 2024.
ATC projects Garcia for 25 homers, which is the lowest among the projection systems. The others have Garcia hitting between 27-29 home runs with ~85 RBI, ~78 runs, and ~12 stolen bases.
Providing Garcia can match those numbers and get his batting average near to his .239 career mark, he will outperform his ADP. As we covered with Langford, the Rangers look to have an improved lineup in 2025, so Garcia has all the ingredients to return to being a top-25 outfielder.
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